*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Bad Choice of Songs

I was at Bar None last night and I think the band last night sucked. Not 'cos they sang or played THAT badly, but it was more to do with their song choices.

Like seriously, the crowd at Bar None isn't THAT old, so maybe we could do without songs like James Ingram's "Just Once", "You to Me Are Everything" by The Real Thing, which by the way, sounds like one of those songs you hear on a cruise ship's entertainment segment of the evening. And after the first set ended, they began to play retro numbers which reminded me of Zouk's mambo nights. I left after the first set ended as I wasn't too impressed by the songs.

Anyway, I've made a mental note not to go to Bar None on Sunday nights. But then, I really shouldn't be out that late on Sunday nights. heh. I was good though...i got home before 12!

Best part is that I woke up at 6.30am, half an hour earlier than usual, and even came into the office early! What's up with me????

Goran Bregovic

For those of you in Singapore who are free tonight and have nothing to do, may I suggest that you head to the Esplanade and watch Goran Bregovic and his band in concert.

It's a fantastic 2-hour performance that will get you all fired up and wanting to groove to the sounds of the lively music. The synopsis on the Singapore Arts Festival website describes his music as a blend of "gypsy brass bands with traditional Balkan rhythms and Bulgarian polyphonies".

The blend of music, from big band tunes with all its loudness and liveliness, to the more soulful and meditative pieces lulling you in, spins such magic over you. The Eastern European tunes played last night were ssoooo compelling! Some were instrumental pieces and some had vocals. For the latter pieces, I didn't understand a single word of what was being sung, but I enjoyed it all the same! Bregovic and his band also played music from his film scores "Underground", "Arizona Dream" and "Times of the Gypsies", and music from "Tales and Songs from Weddings and Funerals".

Please please please go and watch it if you can. Last night of performance tonight!!! It's a pity that he's not very well known in Singapore as the concert hall wasn't filled to the brim last night. Still, it's worth every single dollar you pay!

Woxy

Olduvai has saved me from the torture of being in an oh-too-quiet office by introducing WOXY to me. Like why didn't I know of this earlier????

Love all the cool beats that stream in all day!

A Love That Will Last

My favourite song of the moment by Renee Olstead.

I want a little something more
Don’t want the middle or the one before
I don’t desire a complicated past
I want a love that will last

Say that you love me
Say I’m the one
Don’t kiss and hug me
And then try to run
I don’t do drama
My tears don’t fall fast
I want a love that will last

I don’t want just a memory
Give me forever
Don’t even think about saying goodbye
Cuz I just want one love to be enough
And remain in my heart till I die

So call me romantic
Oh I guess that must be so
There’s something more that you oughta know
I’ll never leave you
So don’t even ask
I want a love that will last forever
I want a love that will last

I don't want a just a memory
Give me forever
Don't even think about saying good-bye
Cuz I just want one love to be enough
And remain in my heart till I die

So there’s just a little more that I need
I wanna share all the air that you breathe
I'm not the kinda girl to complicate the past
I want a love that will last forever
I want a love that will last always
I just want a love that will last
Want a love that will last

Singing Dolly

Been extremely busy at work. Lots of stuff to get ready for my trip to Beijing. The purpose of my trip is to conduct editorial research and frankly this is quite a daunting task for my second week at work as I've never done this before. Eeeks. Wish me luck.

Today's D's birthday! Happy Birthday to one of my closest friends! Together with three of her colleagues, we had a long karoke session in the afternoon. The four of them started singing at 2pm while I joined them at 4pm as I was teaching before that.

We sang to our hearts' content all the way till 7pm, after which we went to have dinner. A Japanese ramen noodle set was the dinner menu for each of us. I had some gyoza as well. Very filling meal!

Here's my song repertoire for the day (as far as I can remember....though I think I did sing a couple more):

1) 江美琪 -- 一百零一個答案 (Jiang MeiQi - A Hundred and One Answers)
2) 王菲 -- 空城 (Faye Wong - Empty City)
3) 王菲 -- 旋转木马 (Faye Wong - Rotating Wooden Horse)
4) 王菲 -- 红豆 (Faye Wong - Red Bean)
5) 王菲 -- 誓言 (Faye Wong - A Promise)
6) 梁静如 -- 不想睡 (Fish Leong - Don't Wanna Sleep)
7) 梁咏琪 -- 归属感 (Gigi Leung - Sense of Belonging)
8) 林忆莲 -- 至少还有你 (Sandy Lam - At Least There's You)
9) 万芳 - 新不了情 (Wan Fang - A New Everlasting Love)
10) 周杰伦 - 东风破 (Jay Chou - Breaking Eastern Traditions)
11) 周杰伦 - 轨迹 (Jay Chou - The Tracks You Leave Behind)
12) 萧亚轩 - 最熟悉的陌生人 (Elva Hsiao - The Most Familiar Stranger)
13) SHIN - 一了百了 (SHIN - It's Over)

Sorry for the rather iffy translations....but it's the best I can manage! I don't think it's tttoooo bad. D is quite the karoke queen...I on the other hand seldom go even though I kinda enjoy it.

I usually only sing Mandarin songs when I go karoke-ing. This is because the Mandarin songs have the latest MVs and the MVs are original ones by the artistes and not those cheesy ones (e.g. those which show a couple or some woman at some beach or some place in Europe) which are so common for the English songs.

Anyway, I had fun today. Think karoke can get addictive! But I'm far from usurping D from her throne as karoke queen. ;p

Empty City (空城)

Empty Chairs

<<空城>> (Pronounced "Kong Cheng" aka Empty City) is the second track from Faye Wong's album "將愛" (Forever Love). It's one of my favourite tracks in this album.

The song starts off with Faye Wong singing only to the accompaniment of the piano which gives us an idea of the solitude the song is trying to convey. A little more into the song, the melancholic strands of the violins enter, stirring up the pangs of loneliness and desperation.

The tinkling sounds of the piano as the pianist runs his fingers down the keys in swift motion together with the violins during the chorus, gives the impression that one is running around the empty city in a desperate search for that loved one.

I've attempted to translate the lyrics here:

Empty City

In this ageing city
I see only your silhouette
Living in the same universe
Learnt to use my eyes to decipher your emotions
Who invented the drawer
My heart is locked up in it as something to be treasured
Love is a mirror
Who lives in there?
I searched for you
Saw my predator

<<空城>>

* 住在同一個天體 學會用眼睛去定情
愛情是面鏡子 有誰住在那裡 我尋找你
看見天敵 點破天機 用我一滴淚的力氣 *

是誰發明抽屜 連心一起鎖上去珍惜
以為愛是天梯 順著它的方向
我只撿到玻璃鞋子 花樣繁複 傷心是唯一的造物

# 我不要愛的空城 請給我你的天真
我不要情色掌紋 為他作無謂的犧牲
我不要愛的空城 抹去流星的陪襯
在歲月漸老的國度 只看你輪廓寫真 #

Repeat * # # #

在歲月漸老的國度 只看你輪廊寫真
住在同一個天體 學會用眼睛去定情
是誰發明抽屜 連心一起鎖上去珍惜
愛情是面鏡子 有誰住在那裡 我尋找你
看見天敵

Go here for a listen.

And just a little about the pic above. I took that pic at the same time I photographed the piano (See March 17 entry). I had this particular shot cropped and enlarged in the darkroom to make it an elongated shot. It's one of my favourites.

旋木 (Xuan Mu)

<<旋木>>
曲：袁惟仁 | 詞：楊明學 | 編：黃中岳 | 唱﹕王菲

擁有華麗的外表和絢爛的燈光
我是匹旋轉木馬身在這天堂
只為了滿足孩子的夢想
爬到我背上就帶你去翱翔

* 我忘了只能園地奔跑的那憂傷
我也忘了自己是永遠被鎖上
不管我能夠陪你有多長
至少能讓你幻想與我飛翔

# 奔馳的木馬
讓你忘了傷
在這一個供應歡笑的天堂
看著他們的
羨慕眼光
不需放握在心上

旋轉的木馬
沒有翅膀
但卻能夠帶著你到處飛翔
音樂停下來你將離場
我也只能這樣

Repeat * #

This song <<旋木>> is short for 旋轉木馬, meaning a rotating wooden horse. It's taken off Faye Wong's album <<將愛>> which translates into "Forever Love". Go here to have a listen.

The lyrics are very meaningful and the songwriter's such a genius to use the metaphor of a horse on a carousel to refer to someone who feels trapped. Faye Wong's ethereal and soothing voice, accompanied by the lone plucking of guitar strings, brings out the solitary beauty of this song.

I shall attempt to translate the lyrics of this song for those who can't read Chinese. Here goes:

Possessing a polished appearance and bright lights
I am a rotating wooden horse in this heaven
Only here to fulfill the children's fantasies
Climb on my back
And I'll take you aflying to places far away

Rotating wooden horse
Wingless
But still able to bring you to places faraway
When the music ceases, you'll leave the fairgrounds
And I'm helpless.

<<遇见>>

<<遇见>> 孙燕姿 唱

听见冬天的离开 我在某年某月醒过来
我想 我等 我期待 未来却不能因此安排
阴天傍晚 车窗外 未来有一个人在等待
向左 向右 向前看 爱要拐几个弯才来
我遇见谁 会有怎样的对白
我等的人 他在多远的未来
我听见风来自地铁和人海
我派着队 拿着爱的号码牌
我往前飞 飞过一片时间海
我们也常在爱情里受伤害
我看着路 梦的人口有点窄
我遇见你是最美丽的意外
终有一天 我的谜底会解开

I've been meaning to put the lyrics of this song up on my blog but was just a little lazy to type it out in Chinese all this while. <<遇见>>, meaning "to meet" in Chinese, is a song sung by Stephanie Sun. The song's tune is a simple and pleasant one punctuated with the lovely tinkles of the piano. But what I love most about the song is its lyrics.

I think many people would have experienced those feelings described in the song at some point or another. The song, written in the first person, speaks of one's longing for that special someone to walk into his/her life. The waiting, the hoping, the anticipation, the yearning and sometimes, the hurt. Waiting to meet that special someone is like waiting for a great mystery to unravel.

Nonetheless, the end of the song brings a spark of hope - it says meeting that special someone would be the most beautiful coincidence, and that one fine day, that mystery will be unravelled.

Beethoven & Vivaldi

After a hectic weekend, I spent the whole of Monday relaxing at home. I really needed it! The only time I got out of the house on Monday was to go to Emiko's house to teach her.

Today, it was out to the city again as I had to go to school to collect my assignments and reference letters from my lecturers. I also met up with my Taiwanese friend Kaining to say goodbye. She's going back to Taipei this Sunday for the holidays but she'll be back in Sydney next year for one more semester of uni. I however, will be leaving for good so this is the last time we'll see each other in perhaps a long time. We've become really good friends over the past couple of months and it's so sad to say goodbye.

We went to Circular Quay, walked around the harbour and sat at the Botanic Gardens for a while to chat. The weather was glorious and it was the perfect day to be out and about.

Anyway, the exciting part about today is that I bought tickets to two concerts. The first one will be the Sydney Symphony Orchestra & Sydney Symphonic Choir performing Beethoven's Symphony No.9. I'm so excited 'cos this is one of Beethoven's best symphonies. I also got tickets to watch Nigel Kennedy perform Vivaldi's Four Seasons! I'm just as excited about this 'cos it's going to be so great to watch this music virtuoso display his genius.

Oh! I'm so looking forward to these two concerts!